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A hospital trust with large debts that could threaten its future must be given help urgently by the government, local commissioners, and regulators to help it become financially secure again, concludes the public spending watchdog.

The National Audit Office has highlighted the financial crisis at Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which in 2011-12 had a debt of £46m—22% of its turnover and the worst in the NHS that year—and which is set to rise to more than £50m in 2012-13.

The watchdog published a report on 29 November in which it analysed the financial problems at the trust, which has struggled to maintain its finances since entering into a private finance initiative (PFI) scheme in 2007 to build a new hospital.1 …

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